Bali benchmark to amend construction law

The House of Representatives’ Commission V on public infrastructure has made Balinese architecture one the three traditional references to amend Law No. 18 on construction services. According to Commission V deputy chairman Muhidin Mohamad Said, the two other references are traditional architecture from West Sumatera and East Kalimantan.

Speaking on Thursday during a visit to revise the amendment bill, Muhidin said Bali had been chosen because of its customary regulations on architecture, called Asta Kosala Kosali, which have been adopted for architectural and construction services in the province.

“West Sumatera was chosen because its traditional architecture is earthquake-resistant, while East Kalimantan was due to its wide variety of building types,” he was quoted as saying by Antara news agency. According to Muhidin, the construction sector’s contribution to gross domestic product has been increasing over the past several years. The contribution was Rp 660.8 trillion (US$68 billion) in 2010, increasing to Rp 754 trillion in 2011 and Rp 860.9 trillion in 2012.